The Smallest Blossom
by Andela
Summary: Dean’s frightening dreams lead him to old friends from a former life where the line between good and evil is blurred.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

_What the hell?_

He stares down at the driver's seat of the impala through the closed window, unsure of what to make of this. Sitting right in the middle of the glossy black seat is a small colored mass. He opens the door and sticks his hand in and reaches for the colored article. He picks it up and pulls his head out of the car to examine it, his eyebrows drawing close together as he scrutinizes the object. A tiny, light purple flower, perfect and unblemished. He probably would've sat on it if he hadn't paused to scratch his head. His green eyes soften as he holds it between his thumb and index finger. He continues to simply stand there gazing at it for another couple seconds. A small smile forms on his face as he extends his arm and lets it go into the wind. He watches it fly away into the warm red glow of the sunset and closes his eyes as he inhales deeply, and lets it wash over him. A sense of peace, tranquility. Something he hasn't felt for a long time. He exhales and opens his eyes, the small smile still on his face. He knows it will be alright.

_With an omen like that, how could it not? _

"Umm…….Dean?"

He snaps out of his stupor and turns to face his little brother.

"What Sammy?"

"You okay?"

_An understatement my man._

"Course I am, why wouldn't I be?" he asks, one eyebrow raised.

Sam raises his own eyebrow and a goofy grin appears on his face.

"Oh Dean, you've gotta stop daydreaming. S'not good for what little mental health you have left" he jokes.

Dean snorts, eyebrows rising higher.

_You should talk…_

"I'M the one lacking mental health? You're the crazy one, fool. It's why you never get laid, among the other various reasons I have yet to mention."

Sam's eyes go wide in irritation.

"Oh you've mentioned your reasons plenty, thank you very much."

Dean grabs at his heart in mock upset and closes his eyes.

"Why Sam, I had no idea that you paid such close attention to all the things I say…It means so much to me that you actually take my opinions seriously…"

"Bite me. Now are you getting it or not?" Sam asks half exasperated

"God you're so impatient, I'm coming already. S'no need to come out and get me, you little worry-wart. I'm a big boy; I can walk from the room to the car by myself" Dean says.

Sam sighs and turns to walk back towards the motel as Dean slides back into the car to grab his and Sam's phone charger.

_Could've just gotten it yourself you lethargic college boy. If you're going to make me go get something, you can a least expect me to take my time with it. Sheesh._

He shuts the door of his beloved impala and locks it. Holding the collection of wires in his hands he walks back to the motel room. As he approaches the plain white door he looks towards the sunset once more. The small smile returns for the moment and he turns the handle and pushes the door open, walks inside, and lets it close behind him.

Chapter One

_God I hate the night. _

Dean lies on his back and stares at the ceiling. He's been this way for a while, waiting for sleep to come. He listens to his brother's rhythmic breathing, soft and gentle. He had been hoping that listening to it would help lull him to sleep but its taking a while. He gets bored with the ceiling and turns on his side to look at the aged wallpaper. Not much better, although he has to admit to himself he finds it more interesting than the blank off-white ceiling.

He starts to count the cracks in the wallpaper. He follows the lines like an artist does their paintbrush, observes the contours of each one, the shapes they create and the disruptions formed in the faded pattern adorning the wall. Eventually his minds starts to drift, his eyes begin to flutter. He drifts to sleep, listening to his brother's quiet breathing.

_Her piercing red eyes bore into his, as though she's trying to rip what she wants from his mind. They're the most beautiful yet terrifying things he's ever seen. And so familiar…But he can't recall where he's seen them before, it's been so long…_

"_Dean…" she whispers, eyes still fixated on his._

_Suddenly Dean remembers that there's something he has to do. It's important…He can't keep looking into them, he has to remember. But they're so mesmerizing; he doesn't want to look away._

"_Dean…" she says again in a deeper, masculine voice._

_Wait a minute…That's Sam's voice…_

_He hears his name called again but this time her lips are not moving. Dean has to look away, he has to find Sam, he keeps calling for him. But her eyes won't let him go. She wants Dean to stay, he has something she wants._

"_Dean!"_

_At last he manages to tear his eyes from hers and looks about him for Sam._

"_Sam, where are you!" Dean yells._

_He looks around frantically for his little brother, but he's surrounded by a black mist, unable to see five feet in front of him. He tries to move his feet but they're stuck to the ground. Now he's being pulled under water, water filling his lungs. He opens his mouth to scream but only bubbles erupt. He claws his hands at the water's surface and tries to swim his way back up to the air. He continues to struggle when those eyes appear again. Those terrible red eyes stare down at him from the surface, watching him struggle, watching him die. He stops flailing, accepting his fate as he's pulled down even further to the bottom. On his back he lands on the sandy floor and looks back up to the top as the eyes disappear and sunlight begins to break the water's surface. _

_He closes his eyes and accidentally inhales, but finds that no water enters. He exhales and breathes in again and still no water fills his mouth. He opens his eyes again and he's lying on a stone floor in a dimly lit room. He starts to get up and puts a hand to his head where it's started to throb. _

_Suddenly he hears a noise. He slowly sets his hand back down on the hard floor and sits completely still, listening. A muffled and distant voice, but its starting to come closer. _

"_DEAN!" Sam's voice calls out again._

"_SAM!" he shouts as he looks to his right and his eyes widen in horror._

_Crimson red cascading from her blazing eyes, she grabs his throat and starts to squeeze, blood pouring from where her nails are digging into his neck. _

"_DEAN!"_

He opens his eyes abruptly up to Sam shaking him awake.

"Dean! Wake up!"

Covered in cold sweat and shaking slightly, he kicks the sheets away and pushes Sam's hands away.

"I AM awake, stop shaking me already!" Dean grumbles in protest. "What were you doing that for anyway?"

"I thought you were having a nightmare or something, you kept mumbling in your sleep. Then you started to call for me, I thought something was wrong" Sam responds, concern in his eyes.

"I'm fine Sam, just give me a minute" he says quickly, trying to slow his breathing. He sits up in his queen sized bed and runs his hands through his hair. He rubs his eyes and inhales deeply before cradling his face in his hands.

_What the hell was that about? God that was so scary…_

A few moments pass by in silence as Dean simply sits there absorbed in his thoughts. Sam's on the edge of his bed, watching Dean vigilantly as though waiting for him to yell out again.

"Are you okay…?" Sam asks cautiously.

"Yeah Sammy, I'm fine. It was just a nightmare. Sorry I woke you" Dean says. "What time is it?" he asks.

"Uh…around 2:30…you sure you're okay man? You don't look so good…"

"Well neither do you but that's a never ending thing isn't it?" he smirks weakly.

Sam sighs and decides Dean's alright. "Fine you jerk. I'm going back to sleep."

"Be my guest, sorry I interrupted your beauty sleep Cinderella."

"Its Sleeping Beauty to you dumb ass" Sam retorts.

"Aw…Sammy's a Disney Princess fan, how cute"

"Shut up."

A wide grin on his face Dean lies back down and rests his head against the pillow, a bit calmer. His tired eyes start to soften and a look of sadness emerges on his face. He grabs for another pillow and hugs it up against his chest and sighs. His tries to keep his mind blank as he stares at the wall again. But as he starts to drift off again his thoughts return to the dream and those eyes. He thinks of what he should do, and then his resolve is set.

_I'll give her a call tomorrow morning, make sure every things okay. _

His eyes close finally and he hugs the pillow tighter.

_Keep on fighting. I'm coming for you. _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sakari sits with her arms crossed and her back straight against the wooden pew, her face showing attentiveness but her dark eyes contradicting her expression. She's been this way for about a half hour. A long, tedious thirty minutes. The priest is saying something about how golf connects to life; grip too hard and you get nothing but sore muscles and a lack of flexibility, therefore implying you will miss out on what life is really about. The amateur swing. But if your grip is too loose the club flies out of your hands and you obviously can't hit the ball; in real life you become lost and easily seduced by various addictions

_Basically sex, drugs, and alcohol. Gotcha._

She glances out the window at the side of the church again and starts to watch the raging storm outside. The downpour is incredible; she's never seen it this heavy so early in the year before. She thinks that she saw lightning strike behind the building twice already, accompanied by the nonstop rumbling of thunder.

_Get four horsemen in here and we can call it the apocalypse. _ _Or maybe God decided he wanted to flood the Earth again. We're going to need another Noah if that's the case. And maybe an arc. Yeah that'd be good. Better make sure we swat those two mosquitoes while we're at it._

Now she's really bored. She scratches at the grains of wood with her fingernails, hoping to peel some of it off to prove how cheap Catholics are. Another lightning bolt flashes overhead, illuminating the colorful stained glass window behind the altar.

After a few seconds she realizes that the pew is vibrating. In waves.

_Why do people always forget to turn off their cell phones? How hard is it to hold down a power button for three seconds or to hit the silence button?_

"Ahem."

She pulls herself back to Earth, and turns her head ever so slightly to face an elderly woman with bright red hair. The kind of red hair that can only come from chemicals, especially at her age. The woman is giving her the same malicious stare that Sakari had been saving for the poor soul with the vibrating cell phone. She raises an eyebrow and stares back at the older woman. The lady nods towards Sakari's patched purse and look back towards her.

"Oh…" Sakari mouths.

Sakari gets it now. She gives a feeble smile towards the aged woman and pulls her purse in her lap and digs through it to find her cellular device. The lady huffs and turns her head away from Sakari, nose in the air. Sakari rolls her eyes and pulls out a silver cell phone. She carefully snaps it open and goes to the missed calls menu.

Missed #1

10: 34 pm Apr 1

866-907-3235

Her eyebrows knit together as she snaps it shut and shoves it back into her purse. She rises and walks out of the pew towards the back of church and out the front door.

"She didn't answer" Dean says to Sam.

"Right. And you're worried because...?" he asks.

Sam's still not entirely sure as to why Dean needs to talk to this old friend of his so bad. He hadn't been specific on the details and when Sam confronted him about it, Dean just said that he would tell him everything later, he just needed to get a hold of this person first.

"I just need to talk to her; I need to be sure of something" he responds.

"_Her?_ You didn't mention that this old friend was a _she-"_

"Its not old friend like Cassie, Sam! Again, am I speaking a language you're not understanding! Don't you understand that this is important!" Dean snaps.

Sam's taken aback, Dean hardly ever snaps at him like this. His brown eyes widen in hurt, but now he's fascinated by what could possibly stress his older brother to the point where he's using sarcasm to be hurtful.

"Oh don't get all puppy eyes on me Sam! Look, I didn't mean to yell at you or anything, okay? I just need to make sure she's okay and everything's fine and like I said I'll fill you in later" he says, voice raised and slightly slurring his words in a haste to get them out.

Sam opens his mouth to respond but Dean's phone starts to ring. Dean flips it open and after looking at the screen he pushes the answer button and situates it against his ear.

"Hello?" Dean says, anticipation in his voice.

"You called…?" a tired voice replies.

Dean lets out a sigh of relief and gives a quick nod to his brother. Sam nods back and watches Dean as he sits on the end of one of the beds.

"Yeah, why didn't you answer before?" Dean says worriedly.

"Sorry, I was in church and I was too busy avoiding the evil looks of old ladies to answer at the time."

"You go to church? Since when?" Dean asks, surprised at this.

"Since always bozo, I was raised Catholic. I just...fell away for a while I guess you could say. You know, with the whole incident involving El Diablo and Adriana way back when."

Dean chuckles and answers "Demons can do that to you."

Sam's confused now. Who is this person that Dean can converse with so casually about demons? Did he just go and tell this girl about the family legacy like he did Cassie, or was there something else happening?

"Tell me about it. Back to the point of this whole conversation, why'd you call?"

"Um…look, where are you?" he answers, avoiding the original question.

"Same place as always."

"'Kay, sit tight. We're on our way."

"We huh?"

"Yup. You get to meet him, amazingly enough. Don't go anywhere, okay?"

"Fine, I'll stay. I only live here" she says, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Dean can practically hear her eyes roll.

"Just do it alright!" he retorts angrily, voice raised. "Why are you always like this? I'm being serious for once!"

Sam's taken again aback; he's never heard Dean talk to anyone other than himself like this before. What the hell was going on?

"Jesus Dean, I was only teasing. No need to get snippy. You gonna tell me why you're coming or do I have to wait for that part too?" she responds, sounding extremely irritated.

Dean sighs and closes his eyes while he answers, "I'm sorry, really. I just…I didn't sleep so good last night."

"Don't worry about it. So are you going to tell me now or do I have to wait?" she repeats.

"Um…wait" Dean says, casually glancing over his shoulder in Sam's direction.

"He's standing right behind you, isn't he?"

Dean laughs, "Pretty much."

"Riiight…well this is me not skipping town or whatever. So you can hang up and leave anytime now."

"We should get there in about a day, maybe two at the most depending on the number of back roads I have to cut through to get there" he says.

"See you then, and make sure you don't hit any chupacabras. You are in Texas after all." she adds.

"How'd you know-? Never mind, I'll talk to you later. Promise me you'll be careful for the time being."

"I promise…Bye."

Dean snaps his cell phone shut and yawns, still tired from the night before. He arches his back and stretches his built arms, hoping to keep himself from nodding off in the near future. He faces Sam who is looking at him in utter disbelief.

"What?" Dean asks.

"Uh…What was all that about? You sounded like some high school item for a minute there." Sam answers. "And where exactly are we going?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Blooming yellow shrubs whiz by as the now filthy black impala roars through the dusty back roads, dust and dirt flying up behind them. Sam sleeps in the passenger's seat with his forehead against the window, having fallen asleep before they even crossed into Oklahoma. Dean glances out the window, hoping to see any signs of life other than desert plants. He's had enough of this god forsaken wasteland already. He adjusts his sunglasses and checks his rear view mirror to see a motorcyclist coming up behind him fast. Dean slows and starts to veer to the right, allowing the cyclist to pass him. He doesn't want some obnoxious biker tailing him the whole way through the damned boondocks. As it races past him, Dean pops in a Metallica tape, hoping to get his mind off of things. He turns the volume up but not so loud that he wakes Sam.

"_Say your prayers little one  
Don't forget, my son  
To include everyone…"_

As the familiar music plays on he feels himself relax and starts to nod his head to the melody. He mouths the words along with the song and hears Sam shift his body across the seat. Dean looks over at him and sees that his head is laying on the seat now. Dean suddenly has the urge to put that spoon in his mouth again. An enormous grin adorns his face and he starts to cackle to himself as he remembers a few days earlier. More Specifically, Sam squirming in his seat at the restaurant while they researched a certain tulpa.

_Damn it that powder in the underwear was the best idea I've come up with to date. No wonder the chicks dig me._

He continues to smile to himself for the next couple minutes when Sad But True comes on. Unable to resist the urge any longer Dean cranks the volume and starts drumming the steering wheel, no longer caring if he wakes Sammy up. Seconds later, Sam lifts his head and opens his eyes, blinking furiously, trying to adjust to the bright sun pouring in through the dusty windows. He lets out an enormous yawn and glares at Dean.

"Rise and shine Sammy! Welcome to the beautiful state that's nothing but wilderness and shaped like a cooking utensil!" Dean yells with glee, unable to contain himself.

Sam stares at him like he's gone psychotic.

"Yeah hi, are we there yet?" he asks sleepily, feeling another yawn coming on.

"You kidding me we've still got hours to go! I'm just tired of watching you sleep already. No scenery" Dean answers. "The good news is that we're almost out of this dustbowl of a state."

Sam rubs his eyes and stretches his long legs as far as he can in the somewhat cramped seat.

"Alright so are you going to tell me exactly what's going on yet? You didn't really give me enough information to go by Dean" he says.

"Look I told you, an old friend ok?" Dean answers somewhat slowly as though he's thinking of what to filter out. Sam catches quickly catches this and bites his lip, stopping himself from lashing out at Dean. He still wants more to go with so he decides to press he issue a bit farther.

"Ok that's all you've told me so far. So how'd you guys meet?" he asks.

"I was working a job in Kentucky a few years back and I met her there" Dean replies.

"Were you working alone or was Dad with you?"

"I was working alone. I was looking into Waverly Hills in Louisville."

"The old sanatorium?"

"That's the one."

"So you met her in Louisville I'm assuming. So how'd you meet her? Did you save her from a barreling train or rescue her purse or what?" Sam asks smiling.

Dean guffaws slightly and shakes his head.

"Nothing like that man. I met Sakari at the Sanatorium and then met her sister and I dated her sister for a little bit."

"Sakari…interesting name. What's her sister's?"

Dean pauses, hesitant to answer the question. He frowns a little and then quietly answers-

"Adriana."

Sam's eyebrows rise slightly, once again catching the hesitancy.

"So you dated Adriana…then what happened?" he inquires.

"I dunno. It just sort of fizzled out I guess. We didn't get along all that well after a while" Dean quickly answers, hoping to keep Sam from asking too much more. He shifts his weight uncomfortably in his seat as he adjusts his grip on the wheel. "I stayed friends with Sakari though, and we sort of kept in touch. Occasional emails and things like that."

"I've never heard of either of them before-"Sam starts to reply only to be interrupted by Dean.

"Just wasn't that important, really."

Sam rolls his eyes and exhales noisily. "That still doesn't explain why you had the sudden urge to call and then drive hundreds of miles to see a friend you haven't seen in years man. And what about the dream you had last night? You weren't planning on calling this Sakari chick until after you had that nightmare. Can you please tell me what's going on already? I was patient and waited for all the answers with Cassie but now I want to know-"

"I had a dream about Adriana last night" Dean interrupted again.

"So?"

"She's dead Sam."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_Her blazing red eyes bore into his as she moves towards him. He shrinks back in terror at the blood pouring down her cheeks and the fury in her eyes. Her outstretched hand reaches for his throat as he tries to get away from her but it is no use. Her fingernails dig into his delicate neck once again as he's forced to stare back into her eyes, eyes of nothing but pure evil and hatred. As he feels the warm blood trickle down his chest and his life slip away, he finally rips his eyes from her gaze. He stops struggling against her grip and closes his eyes. He then feels her press his body into the stone floor, her hold on his throat tightening. He gasps in pain as he feels her other hand dig into his chest above his heart. It starts to burn as her nails dig deeper and deeper, the crimson tide now streaming from under her hand onto the floor. She abruptly wrenches her hand from his chest and places it on his left temple. He can feel the sickening warmth of his blood on her hand and he opens his eyes again to find himself face to face with her. Her eyes now black, she releases his lacerated throat at last and touches his right temple. He looks up at her in confusion as she shuts her own eyes as he did seconds before, her hands still on his head. He suddenly feels a pressure where her hands are and at the base of his skull. The pressure continues to strengthen and his face twists into a pained grimace as he tries to breathe but finds he can't. He can't move or control his body at all. He continues to struggle when her eyes snap open and a ring of red encircles her black iris. Pain sears through his brain as his own eyes flicker scarlet, his mind feeling as though white hot knives are stabbing every inch of it. He tries to scream but he can't. All he can do is lie there and wait for the end to come._

_As he looks into her eyes one last time, she opens her mouth to say, "Black it stood as night, fierce as ten furies, terrible as Hell…The monster, moving onward, came as fast, with horrid strides; Hell trembled as he strode."_

_Fear engulfs him; his mind continues to feel as though it's on fire as she continues to speak in a frightening demonic voice,_

"_Pride, Avarice, Lust, Rage, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth. All in due time these sins you shall commit and these sins he shall collect."_

_A sadistic smile etches on her face as the room around him turns black, his mind becomes numb and the pain begins to fade away…_

Dean shoots up, gasping for air, his hands at his throat. He looks around wildly for a few seconds and realizes he's still in the motel room with Sam. He glances at the clock and sees that it's only three a.m. After wiping away the beads of sweat glistening on his forehead with the back of his hand, he takes in a couple of deep breaths. He then runs his hands through his hair and puts his head in his hands, just like the night before. He stays this way for a few moments, waiting for the pounding in his head and the ringing in his ears to subside. As he lifts his head back up a little while later he moves his finger tips to his temples and massages them, hoping to make the pain in his head go away.

It seems almost impossible to Dean that he had had the first nightmare a mere day ago. It feels like it's been ages to him since he told Sam about Sakari and Adriana.

Dean grabs the sweat soaked sheets and pulls them away, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He slowly walks over to the dresser at the other end of the room, trying not to wake Sam. He reaches inside the worn, beaten brown leather duffel bag and pulls out his silver laptop. Treading carefully to the table near the window, he opens the laptop and presses the power button. The white glow of the screen illuminates his pale, freckled face and reveals the dark shadows under his green eyes as it powers up. He waits a few moments as it starts up and simply watches his little brother sleep peacefully. He's envious, really. And at the same time he's grateful that he was the one having the nightmares for once because he hates to see Sammy in pain, hates to see him look exhausted and worn out. It made Dean feel so helpless when Sam had his visions or nightmares. Sam is his responsibility, he's supposed to protect him but his dreams are the one thing that he can't defend him from. He places his cheek against his right fist, keeping watch over his brother, despite the headache he still has and the desire for sleep.

The computer finally opens to the menu screen and Dean sits upright as he opens his email, figuring he'll update Sakari on their proximity. But as he hits the create-new button, a new email pops up. From Sakari.

He narrows his eyes as he clicks on it, opening the message. Its brief but he reads it twice before its meaning sinks in.

Dean,

I know why you're coming. I dreamed about you and…her. God I can't believe I'm saying this, but I saw her. I wish this was just another nightmare but I can't shake this feeling that there's something coming.

I'm going to go see Ayden. He may have some answers.

See you when you get here and please, be safe,

Sakari

P.s. Don't tell Sam too much, alright? He doesn't need to know everything, not yet anyway. We need to figure out what's going on first.

Dean hits the x button and looks over to Sam again, praying that he's doing the right thing. He hits the power button and folds the laptop back up, putting it back in the duffel bag. He yawns as he feels sleep come over him and lays back down on the bed. He rolls over on his stomach and sighs, letting the fear and frustration escape him as he drifts off in the darkness once more.

"Dean, come on lets go."

"Wha…?" Dean says groggily, still sleepy. "No, too comfortable, let me sleep, man…"

Sam rolls his eyes and rips the sheets off his older brother.

"Dude, it's almost ten; the sooner we leave the sooner we get there. Now come _ON_! GET UP ALREADY!" Sam yells impatiently.

Dean sits up in bed, his eyes still closed and his hands resting in his lap. His short hair is sticking out in all directions, the living poster boy for Bedhead. His head starts to nod as he hopes to catch another couple seconds of sleep. His hopes are shattered as Sam whacks him in the head with a pillow, sending him reeling backwards.

"Dude, what the hell! I'm up, I'm up!" Dean shouts angrily. He scratches the back of his neck and groans as he gets up and walks over to the bathroom. He throws Sam a dirty look as he passes him on his way and playfully punches him in the shoulder. Sam shakes his head and turns back to packing his clothes, allowing himself a small smile.

Yawning, Dean looks at himself sleepily in the mirror, not surprised by the faint bruises still present under his eyes. He turns on the faucet and splashes the cool, clean water on his face. He quickly brushes his pearly white teeth and changes into a fresh pair of jeans and a new shirt. He pulls on his favorite leather jacket and grabs the duffel, heading in the direction of the door. As he slams the door shut behind him, he feels his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. He drops the bag on the ground and opens his phone, surprised to see that he has a text message. From his dad.

"Sammy…" Dean says.

Sam walks over to Dean, "Yeah?"

Dean's eyes narrow in disbelief at what is written on the screen and says "I just got a text message from Dad."

A look of surprise appears on Sam's face and his brown eyes meet Dean's green ones.

"It's coordinates."

Hey guys; I'm going to be out of town and won't be able to update for a bit. I'll get one in as soon as I get home.

Sorry this isn't very long. Reviews are appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The lustrous black car streaks down the two lane road, surrounded by rich green pine. The roar of the engine is almost deafening as it speeds around the various curves in the road, accompanied by UFO blasting from the speakers. From inside the car raised voices throw comments back and forth, each one trying to convince the other that they're wrong.

"…Yeah cause you probably missed something, that's what" Dean says mockingly to his little bro, keeping his light eyes on the road as he said this.

"Dude," Sam retorts "I ran Lexus Nexus, police reports, local newspapers, I couldn't find a single red flag. Are you sure you got the coordinates right?"

"Yeah, I double checked! It's Fitchburg, Wisconsin" Dean replies in a mildly annoyed voice. "Look, Dad wouldn't have sent us coordinates if it wasn't important Sammy."

Starting to get angry Sam says, "Well I'm telling you I looked and all I could find was a big steaming pile of nothing. If Dad's sending us hunting for something I don't know what."

"Maybe he's going to meet us there."

"Yeah because he's been so easy to find lately" Sam responds sarcastically.

_Will you stop being such a damned whiner! _Dean thinks to himself. This whole discussion is going nowhere.

"You're a real smart-ass, you know that?" Dean says in partial exasperation and annoyance. Before Sam can retaliate he quickly adds, "Don't worry, I'm sure there's something in Fitchburg worth hunting."

"Yeah?" Sam sighs. "What makes you so sure?"

"Well, because I'm the oldest, which means I'm always right" he says, grinning.

"No it doesn't!" Sam yells in astonishment.

"Yeah it totally does" Dean says, plastering a serious look on his face to get the full effect from Sam.

Sam starts off on a rant about how letting Dad go was a mistake among other things. Dean's not really interested. His thoughts float away to other matters.

A few moments after Sam's done with his monologue, he casually asks Dean, "So you called Sakari right? She knows we're not coming?"

"Huh?" Dean asks, feeling his mind being jerked back to earth. Dean keeps finding it harder and harder to concentrate without the proper amount of sleep. But he's thankful that the color had returned to his face so Sam isn't getting himself in a tizzy over him. He hates it when Sam does that to him. He should be worrying about himself, not his older brother. It's Dean's job to protect him, not the other way around.

"Did you call your friend yet?" Sam repeats.

"Oh right. Yeah she knows."

_Knowing her she probably knew before I even called her_

Sam eyes Dean suspiciously. "Ok...but I'm assuming we're still going to drive there after this job, right?

Dean furrows his eyebrows, answers "Yeah…I guess we are" and pushes the accelerator as they fly past a Fitchburg, Wisconsin sign, reading "Population, 20,501" and then another sign; much larger and covered in colorful pictures of bright, sunny family moments saying "A Place To Call Home."

_Yeah I'll bet…_

She sits in the light wooden pew, unsure as to why she keeps coming back here. There's some reason, she knows there is, but she just can't seem to recall what it is. As she sits she looks up to see rays of blinding light pour in through the triangle window in the ceiling, causing the little girl's blonde hair in front of her to refract the light back into her brown eyes. She watches the thousands of dust specks swirl about in the sunlight as the priest's voice echoes in the background. Not the priest from the week previous, the one she likes. The one who was friends with her father and mother, who would give her a smile and a kind word or two every time she saw him. He reminded her of the days long past. The peaceful days. The days that she still finds herself missing from time to time.

It's Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of Holy Week. The Passion story having been read the pastor reads out his homely, but as usual her short attention span can't keep track of what he's been saying. She's too busy tracing the fibers of the palm branch with her thumb and peeling off the hardened sides, watching them fall in spirals to the carpeted floor.

"That kind of love…" the words boom from the speakers, unpleasantly jolting her from her reverie, "defies human nature. Our sins were placed onto God's only son's shoulders to save us. He chose to bear the weight of all sins for us. So this Holy Week let us be thankful for that kind of love, and let us show that love to all people…"

The Father finishes speaking and strides back over to his seat behind the altar. Sakari stands with the rest of the congregation to say the creed she says practically every week and should know by heart, but she finds she can't open her mouth to say the familiar words. Slouching with her arms crossed, she bites down on her lip and narrows her eyes against the harsh sunlight, now beaming directly onto her head. She tilts her head ever so slightly to the left, and sees something out of the corner of her eyes. She slowly turns her head to get a better look at whatever it is she is seeing, shielding her eyes from the light. Her eyes widen somewhat, her pupils contract, and her jaw drops ever so slightly.

_Oh my God…_

Across the building towards the back side door she stands, her short blonde hair covering half off her pale face. Her head is tilted down, appearing to be waiting for something. Sakari straightens up, revealing her full height and continues to stare at her. She relaxes her shoulders and exhales deeply. A flash of scarlet assaults Sakari's mind as the woman's head snaps in her direction, those ice blue eyes penetrating into her consciousness. Sakari's head starts to throb and she can feel her chest constricting. She places a hand to her heart, grits her teeth and hisses under her breath. The woman smirks and turns to leave, releasing Sakari from her gaze. Sakari's chest opens up again but her head continues to ache as her eyes follow the woman out the space. As the lady touches the door handle her eyes flit over to Sakari one last time and she pushes the door open and steps out. As the room starts to spin Sakari grabs at the pew and seizes it, her knuckles white and her breathing heavy. She closes her eyes and sits down, fighting the bout of nausea threatening to overpower her. She remains there for a few minutes, thinking to herself. Her headache and nausea gone, she shoots up during communion and flies out the doorway.

XXXXX

This is kinda short, but if I get some reviews I'll have chapter six up soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The cut on his head still twinges, threatening to tear open and bleed afresh. His whole body aches from crashing through the wooden closet doors. He lets out a small moan of pain as he shifts his position, trying to get comfortable, but he only makes it worse. He kicks his legs around and tries to let some of the cool night air in under the sheets. A few more restless moments pass; he grits his teeth and turns again to watch Sam sleep. His eyes focus on his baby brother's breathing, watching his chest rise and fall.

"_You okay little brother?" _the question echoes in his ears. The striga is dead, he knows it is, but he still finds himself apprehensive. The image of Sam's fragile life, the wispy white glow, pouring out of his mouth flashes before him. He shoves his arm under the pillow and frantically feels for the familiar touch of the knife handle. After a few short seconds of blindly groping around, he grasps it and feels a small sense of security return. He grips it so hard his fingers start to hurt, the handles edges digging into his palm. He continues to stare intently at Sam, waiting for something to come for him. He strains his ears against the noise of the howling wind and tree branches smacking at the motel window.

Nothing will hurt his brother tonight.

Sam's rhythmic breathing pauses, a small pained expression appears on his face before his breathing starts up again, but more rapidly than before. Dean tenses, ready to hurdle out of the bed if need be. His muscles rigid and his eyebrows furrowed, he sweeps his vision across the wall behind his brother. He continues to listen and watch for the signs of an attack. From what he doesn't know, but he won't let it near his sibling. A few nervous moments pass before Sam appears to calm himself and fall back into a dreamless state. Dean relaxes his aching body but doesn't release the knife from his grip.

_No…not tonight, not ever_.

So long as he is still breathing or, hell, able to fight, living or dead, he will not let Sam be harmed. He will not fail Sam again, or his father for that matter. Never again. The hunt was over, and though he feels more responsible for Sam than ever, a huge burden has been lifted from his chest. He has found closure, if only for one night.

He sighs and feels the tension released from his stiff muscles as he experiences an odd sinking sensation. He continues to sink into the mattress, and drifts off into a world of dreamless sleep, the dagger still in his hand.

XXX

"I know the concept of having a social life, or 'mingling' as you humans call it, is lost on you, but don't you think that you have better things to be doing than hanging around here all the time?"

She's heard this question many times before. He asks it almost every time she's down here, just worded differently each visit. She ignores him and brushes a layer of dust from the top of an aged leather-bound book, attempting to get a closer look at the faded lettering on the cover. She hears him sigh in annoyance and she smiles to herself. They just had this argument the other day when she paid him a visit. He has yet to get through to her, but she finds his perseverance amusing.

"Ayden, if you're so tired of me being here you could just say it instead of turning it around on me and my lack of a social life" she answers, a sarcastic edge as always.

"But for God's sake Sakari, you could be out making friends, getting high, drunk, or help increase the human population and public school taxes-"

"Okay I get it! I'm a walking recluse with a possible mix of inferiority complex, anxiety and depression. And even though I DO have friends, I find a shape shifter such as your self far more appealing than any human I've met" she teases.

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "What am I going to do with you? First of all you certainly don't have an inferiority complex. Second, the only time you got anxiety to the point that people are concerned was in that cramped Spanish classroom you had to sit in your sophomore year of high school; people were yelling and screaming right behind you for an hour. Third, you have very mild depression and you take your meds, so you don't have that much of an excuse. And lastly, I know I'm quite the catch, but I know you don't mean it when you say you find me more appealing than most humans."

"But I'm a still your little recluse" she replies, grinning as she fingers through the mass of pages sitting in her lap.

"Only lately" he mutters to himself. He clears his throat and continues. "And I'm still not sure as to what you're looking for. And apparently neither do you," tapping his right temple as he speaks. "So why are you wasting your time here again? Enlighten me, please."

"Couldn't you just pry into my thoughts again?" she asks. "It would save me some breath. I like to keep my lung capacity at optimum level, thank you very much."

"I want to hear you say it. It has more meaning when you put in the extra effort."

She pauses, unsure of how she'll answer. She knows what he's trying to do. He loves to pick apart people's answers, hear where they stress their syllables in their statements. It's a habit of his that she finds particularly annoying. Plus, he gets to hear and see them say it; apparently it's something he finds more exciting then simply "crossing the threshold of another boring lump of gray mass situated in between two delicate human ears balanced on those shoulders of yours" as he put it. She keeps her expression blank and her eyes unreadable as she decides to answer him, a near impossible feat with Ayden and his observant nature.

"I guess…I'm just trying to kill some time. Or maybe if I keep piling through all of this information, I'll come across with something" she answers slowly, trying to keep the fatigue and worry out of her voice. She had spent almost four hours last night looking for an explanation as to why she keeps having these dreams. And Dean as well. It was at three a.m. that she decided all the additional exposure to the paranormal this late at night was making her jumpy and she called it quits. She has been trying to combat the weariness all day with coffee and energy drinks, something she almost never resorts to.

"You humans and killing time" he scoffs, clearly annoyed with her lack of expression, confirming her success in shutting him out. He leans forward and interlaces his fingers, stretching them out and cracking his knuckles. He does the same to his neck, jerking it awkwardly across his shoulders. His usually light brown eyes turn the trademark moonlight color she has become accustomed to showing up whenever he gets annoyed. They never fail to creep her out despite her fascination with them. He blinks and they return to the brown he keeps when he has to go outside, or at least look marginally human. He ruffles the short black hair on his head and rests his head on top of his knees, hugging his muscular legs together. "Well, I'm not exactly the expert on dreams. Actually I can't really tell you anything about them."

Sakari raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "Why's that?" she asks, naturally curious.

"I don't dream. Or sleep for that matter" he answers, his voice carrying a serious note.

"You can't sleep or you just choose not to?" she asks, pressing the issue as far as she can. She never really did know if shape shifters sleep or not.

"I can if I want to, but I don't usually need to. The only time I would really have to is after I…change" he says honestly, tilting his head to see if she'll react. He rarely mentions the painful process of transforming, the tearing of flesh and the grotesque contortion of his features. She has only witnessed it once, and she hopes that she'll never have to again.

She shudders slightly, and shakes her head when Ayden mumbles a small "sorry."

"Don't worry about it" she says, slamming the enormous book shut, dust flying around her like a cloud of flour. She places it back on the top of the pile she got it from and grabs her purse, feeling his eyes follow her every movement. She turns to face him and opens her mouth to say something but he cuts her off.

"Go see a movie. With that one guy, Scott or whatever his name was. You need some human exposure once in a while. Some normalcy."

She smirks and starts to walk out of the room. As she reaches the door, she faces him and asks, "What is normalcy? Really?"

A small smile appears on his face for the first time since she arrived on his doorstep that morning.

"You'll have to ask Herbert Hoover on that one."

XXXXX

Hey sorry this is so short. Let me know what you think of it, reviews are always much appreciated. A big thank you to those sticking with this story, you rock my world. Thanks again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"So what did you do that piece of crap car of yours that's keeping you from coming? I swear you drive like a soccer-mom sometimes."

Dean's expression is one of shock as he opens his mouth to retaliate.

"What the hell! We've been hauling ass all day to get there-"

"It does NOT take that long to get here and the only accident that I heard of was cleared up hours ago" Sakari says, irritation in her voice once again.

"You ever hear of rubbernecking? God, we'll get there, just stop bitching already…" Dean grumbles.

A short pause follows and the only sound heard is the soft purr of the engine. He hears a sigh into the phone and Sakari finally says "Look, you're not the only one losing sleep over this. Just get here and I'll fill you in."

"You think you've figured it out?" he asks.

"Almost. I can't tell you now, you need to-"

She abruptly stops, nothing but silence greeting Dean's ears.

"Sakari?"

Nothing. He adjusts the phone in his hand, ignoring the piercing stare Sam has been giving him for the past five minutes.

"Dean…" she softly answers, her voice wavering.

"What is it?" throwing a filthy look at Sam, trying to get him to stop staring.

"Someone…someone's listening," her response hesitant.

A small shiver runs up and down Dean's spine and he straightens up in the seat, biting his lip. He starts to press on the accelerator, paying no attention to the speed limit.

"Who?" he slowly asks, his lips barely moving.

Silence.

"S-Sakari?" he stutters, fear clawing at his insides. Tension filled seconds crawl by as he waits with baited breath.

_God not her, not now…_

"Shi-"she mumbles. A faint crackling comes from her end, and she whispers, "call Ayden."

"Call…? Wait, Sakari-!" he nearly shouts into the phone, causing Sam to jump in surprise.

A familiar click sounds and he snaps his phone shut, balling his hand into a fist around it.

"Shit..."he hisses under his breath, flooring the gas pedal as they roar down the back road.

"Dean they have speed limits for a reason" Sam says, his teeth gritted and his hands clutching at the seat and door handle as Dean makes a particularly violent turn. The screeching of tires fills the airs and he jerks at the steering wheel and thrusts his phone in front of Sam.

"Take it!" Dean spits out, voice raised. Sam does as he's told, terrified at Dean's driving on this little road. "Go to contacts and dial Ayden, he should be the third or fourth entry in there."

Sam obliges and hands the phone back to Dean who snatches it out of his hands.

"Dean what's going on?" Sam questions, concerned at his brother's reaction and for this Sakari.

"I don't know Sam," worry in his voice. The phone rings a couple times when it finally picks up.

"Hello?" a stern male voice answers.

"Ayden get over to Sakari's now, something's going down over there" Dean yells, hoping that he can get there in time. "I don't know who or what it is but-"

"I'm on it" Ayden replies, quickly hanging up. Dean closes his phone once again and throws it onto the seat, placing both hands on the steering wheel as trees and houses speed by.

_Ayden, if you truly are good, you won't let them touch her..._

He does not recall how it is he came to be here. He does not know how long he has been lying here on the floor, his cheek resting on the blood soaked hardwood floor. His blood, pouring from the wounds covering his skin. An annoying buzzing fills his ears; it's excruciating. He fears that his head will split open any moment now, perhaps bringing relief along with spilling his brains onto the floor. A minute and twisted grin appears on his face as he envisions the reaction from whoever it is that would find him in such a state. He lets himself lay there for a another minute, allowing his body a small amount of rest before he attempts the excruciating task of pushing himself up off the wet, red floor.

Why the hell is he here?

He slides his right arm back and starts to lift himself off the floor, his arms shaking from under the weight of his own body. As he straightens his elbows his hand slips out from under him, bringing his head to the floor with a sickening crack. He gasps in pain and his eyes start to water, multicolored spots screwing with his vision. He feels a tingling sensation in his throat and tastes a metallic essence in his mouth. He spits up blood, and plants his hand down to try the gruesome task of standing up again. He feels the sticky substance trickle down his chin to his neck, staining his already blemished shirt even further. He brings himself to full height at last, and feels the wind knocked out of him. The room starts to spin and his head feels as though it will be crushed from the pressure; he grabs at his head, expecting to find a vice clamped across his head. He falls to one knee and closes his eyes, waiting for the sudden bout of vertigo and the pounding in his ears to pass. He pants heavily and tries to focus, attempting to recollect his thoughts. He grits his teeth and pulls his hands away from his head, feeling a sick warmth on them. He slowly erects himself once more, careful to keep himself from slipping again and looks at his blood covered hands. He simply stares at them, and a flash hits him like a lightening bolt; a blow to the head, a swift kick to the abdomen and a blow to the temple before he's thrown into the wall.

He remembers now.

Rough hands grab at his jacket and yank him to his feet; a forehead is slammed into his own. He remembers falling, falling into the glass. He remembers it shattering under the impact and piercing his skin, the back of his neck hitting the frame of the table, feeling himself spinning out of consciousness.

But how he got to the kitchen he does not know. He couldn't have possibly moved there by himself in this state. Ignoring the pounding in his ears and the weakness in his knees, he begins the arduous journey to the foyer. Flicking on a light switch as he shuffles past it, he places a hand to the wall to steady himself. He drags one foot after another, cursing himself for getting into this mess. He reaches the foyer and takes a quick glance, surprised to find everything intact.

Then as he shifts his body to go the other way, the lights flicker, static coming from the stereo in the living room.

His midnight eyes widen and he limps as fast as he can to the large room at the west end of the house, his heart racing. He steps into the room and his jaw drops slightly in shock. There on the opposite wall, is the rough sketching of…something. And dripping from this depiction is an all-too-familiar red liquid.

"What the…" he murmurs.

He barely registers the smashing noise when someone breaks in through the front door. They're screaming two names, but he cannot make out whom. His head is spinning again, stars flashing before his eyes, and he feels himself fall to the floor once again. As he lies on the floor just as he did mere moments ago, he sees something shimmering to his side. He reaches out and grabs it, picking it up clumsily. He brings it closer to his face and feels something sharp poke his finger. Surprised, he holds it up to the dim light and sees a small syringe. Inside it remains a tiny amount of a shiny, almost mercury-like substance.

_Silver…_

He drops it and lets it clatter to the floor, feeling someone grab his aching shoulders. His head swimming, he sees a familiar face, worry plastered all over it.

"Winchester…?" he mumbles, his eyes drooping with exhaustion.

Dean lets out a tiny nervous laugh and shakes him lightly.

"Hey Ayden man, stay with us" Dean says.

Ayden tries to point to the syringe at the elder Winchester's knee. Dean sees it and picks it up, scrutinizing it closely.

"Ayden, what-"

"Silver…" he whispers.

Dean looks angry now.

"Who the hell did this to you? And where's Sakari?" Dean asks, rage evident in his voice.

Ayden gives in and shuts his weary eyes, opening his mouth one more time to say to Dean, "see you in a few…"

And he lets himself be taken by the darkness, his cheek pressed against the cool linoleum floor.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Sam sits on the large over-stuffed couch, his hands resting on his lap. Having scoured the house for any sign of the attacker or Sakari and being unsuccessful, he can't seem to find anything to occupy himself with. So he watches, waiting for...what was his name again? Ayden, that was it-to wake up.

God does he feel useless. The whole day has been nothing but sensory overload for him. And it's giving him one hell of a headache. Was it only a few hours ago that Dean and him were slowly but surely making their way here? It was just another peaceful day in their Twilight Zone lives when Dean had decided to give Sakai a heads up of their approach. Then it all spun out of control.

_Sam had found himself smiling at Sakari and Dean's bickering again, unaware of what was soon to transpire. _

"_Sakari?" Dean said, seeming genuinely concerned about something. Sam threw him a quizzical look._

"_What is it?" Dean asked, throwing Sam a dirty look. Sam huffed in annoyance and shook his head, irritated at Dean for not giving him some sort of hint as to what was happening._

_Dean suddenly went rigid and bit his lip, speeding up the impala. He adjusted the phone in his hand, and whispered "Who?"_

_Sam straightened his own back and shifted his weight on the seat, a feeling of dread washing over him. What was going on?_

_Dean suddenly yelled out, apparently oblivious to the fact that they were in a confined space and Sam was right next to him. _

"_Call…? Wait, Sakari-!" Dean roars, his eyes wide in terror. He angrily closes his phone and balling his hand into a fist. "Shit" he hissed and floored it._

_Sam grabbed onto the door handle with one hand and wraps the other around the leather seat, trying to keep himself from being flung into the dashboard. The sound of tires screeching and the smell of burning rubber envelope him, his teeth gritted._

"_Dean they have speed limits for a reason!" he cried, feeling the G-force slamming into his side, pushing him towards the driver's seat. His knuckles are white from gripping the door handle, fearing he might accidentally tear it off. _

_Dean shoved his phone in front of Sam and ordered him to dial someone named Ayden. Sam, unwilling to piss Dean off any further, did as he was told and handed the cell back to his brother. _

"_Dean what's going on?" he demanded, wanting some answers for Dean's sudden mood swing. Sam had almost never seen his older brother like this and he wasn't too happy about it occurring while Dean happened to be driving. And Sam found himself afraid for Dean's friend; a friend that he so obviously cared for._

_Dean lowered his voice and answered "I don't know Sam…" Sam was once again surprised by the worry in his voice. Sam began to open his mouth when Dean raised his voice again and yelled for Ayden to get over to Sakari's. "I don't know who or what it is but-"he stopped himself, as though keeping himself from uttering his worst fears, as though saying it out loud would confirm it. The call abruptly ended, Dean hung up and placed both hands on the steering wheel, forcing all of his concentration to the road. _

A small noise snaps Sam out of his flashback, causing him to jump a little. The blood on the walls, the floor, and their clothing has left him antsy; on edge. He finds himself whipping his head in the direction of the smallest sound, only to find that there's nothing there. The only comfort he has is the gentle ticking of the clock in the room. The silver second hand moves forever in rhythm, never ceasing to do as it's programmed to do, unless of course the clock is smashed to a thousand pieces or the batteries simply wear out. He has to say that he feels like the minute hand, suddenly jerking from one place to the next. Wait…was he comparing his life to a clock? What the hell was wrong with him?

Sam lets out a small, mirthless laugh and massages his sinuses above his eyes, trying to relieve some of the pressure. He feels as though he's been ripped from his own screwed up ghost hunting life and thrown into his brother's, and he has no idea just how deep this wound could be. It's obvious to Sam that something big is going on, and it's also obvious that the only details Dean was willing to share with his little brother he keeps hidden in obscurity. He had at first tried to ignore the secrecy, not let it bother him. After all, everyone was entitled to keep things to themselves-he of all people should know that. Wasn't he the one who had kept the true meaning of his nightmares from Dean?

But he's finding that he can't keep is mouth shut any longer. A burning curiosity as to what happened between Dean and these old friends of his is consuming him.

He hears the crunching of glass and looks up to see his brother walk in, a weary look to his eyes. Dean looks to Ayden and asks, "He hasn't woken up yet?"

Sam sits up and answers, "No. But I've gotta say, I'm just a little confused as to how a small injection of silver can put him in such a comatose state. Besides the more obvious injuries, anyway."

Dean hesitates and turns away from Sam, leaning down to pick up the small syringe near the table.

"Yeah…one does wonder…"

Sam shoots up off the couch, bringing himself to his full height.

"Okay, ENOUGH! You've been hiding something from me ever since you talked to Sakari and I've had enough of it! Stop bullshitting me and tell what the hell is going on Dean!" Sam shouts.

Surprised, Dean turns to face Sam again, his mouth open to retaliate. Upon seeing the look on Sam's face he backs off, knowing Sam means business. He knows that look all too well. Once Sam is set on getting answers he doesn't back down until he gets what he wants. Annoys the crap outta Dean.

Dean sighs and closes his eyes, the adrenaline from the day's events clearly having worn off and asks "Whaddya wanna know?"

Sam looks incredulous, anger overpowering him.

"For starters, who is he?" Sam yells, his voice near hysterics, pointing to an unconscious Ayden. "And second, why did the silver affect him like some monster we hunt? And what the hell happened here? And where's this Sakari, who hardly tell em anything about and then you try to drag me half way across the country to her place, TWICE-"

"He's a shape shifter" Dean interrupts, his voice sounding tired.

Sam takes a beat, his mouth hanging open in shock at what he just heard escape his brother's lips.

"He…I'm sorry, what?"

"Ayden is a shape shifter, that's why the silver affected him the way it did. So technically he is like some monster we hunt" Dean answers, waiting for a reaction from Sam.

Sam blinks stupidly, still trying to comprehend what he just heard. Why was his brother, who had been framed by a shape shifter, protecting one? He clears his throat and shuffles his feet uncomfortably.

"So…he's a shape shifter."

"Um, yeah Sammy, that's what I just said."

"Okay…I'm sorry, why is it still breathing again-?" Sam starts.

"He" Dean says a matter-of-factly.

"What?"

Dean clears his own throat and raises his voice slightly, "He, not it."

Sam scoffs at this, "Okay, he. Now will you please tell me what happened here?"

"I don't know Sam. Seriously, I'm really not sure. I mean I have a few theories but not enough to figure it out" Dean says, thinking about his answer.

"You want to tell me what those theories are bro?" Sam retorts, Dean's hesitancy reminding him of why he was angry to begin with.

"Weren't you listening Sam? She didn't exactly tell me who was in here and what they wanted in case you missed that when I was practically yelling into the phone," his voice rising again.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Dean that I wasn't able to decipher what was going on from the 'I don't know' crap you've been giving me all week-"

"Shut up, both of you" a raspy voice speaks, scaring the living hell out of both Sam and Dean.

A bruised and bloodied Ayden sits up on the couch, putting a hand to his jaw, cracking it with a push of his fingers. His nightmarish eyes pierce the oppressive darkness of the room. The eerie glow bores into Sam's eyes and before Sam can say anything Ayden whispers, "Since you want to find Sakari, I suggest you stop arguing with one another and decipher the clue they left for us."

Sam takes a step back, terrified of the eyes looking back at him.

"Oh yeah?" he asks nervously. "And what clue would that be?"

Dean mumbles something inaudible.

"May want to repeat yourself Winchester, and a little louder this time. Don't think your brother caught it the first time" Ayden says, the glow in his eyes beginning to fade.

Sam tears himself from Ayden's gaze and looks towards his brother.

"What Dean?"

Dean doesn't answer him at first, but walks over to the wall behind Ayden instead. He extends an arm and traces the now dried blood on the wall with his finger, lost in thought.

"It's a message" Dean finally responds to Sam, keeping his back facing his little brother. "A warning, maybe, at the very least" he says, glancing at Ayden.

"Yahtzee" Ayden replies, a small smirk on his face. "Question is, what the hell does it mean? My level of intelligence may be superior to both of yours, but alas, I haven't the slightest idea."

Sam looks from Ayden to Dean, once again feeling frustration and confusion welling up in his gut. "What message? What warning?"

Dean takes a step back, still scrutinizing the blood on the wall. He remains silent for a moment, then turns to ask Ayden, "Does Sakari still practice tarot?"

Ayden's eyebrow's rise slightly, then answers, "yeah, not as much as she used to, but she still does a reading from time to time…"

"Well, does she still have the same deck that she used for my reading?" Dean asks.

"Last I checked-why, you think that they may have something to do with this?" he says, motioning to the wall.

Dean bites his lower lip and pauses, concentrating. A second later he speaks again, his excitement building. "Does she still have the same deck she used when I first met her?"

"Um…Yeah, I think, why-?"

Cutting him off, Dean quickly asks "Could you find them for us?"

XXX

pretty please review! they are my life force...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"I don't trust him, Dean. I mean I'm sure you have your reasons, but he's still a shape shifter! How do we know he won't just turn around and kill us when we're least expecting it?"

Shuffling the papers on the desk, Dean rolls his eyes and lets out an exasperated sigh.

"You know he can probably hear you. He has very good ears."

"Let him hear me! Shape shifters revel in torturing and killing-"

"Now how would you know that?" Dean asks, cutting Sam off abruptly. "You've only come across one, and yes, it was a screwed up, sadistic son of a bitch but it got what it deserved didn't it? We took care of it, right? If Ayden ever tried anything like that, I assure you his ass would be stuffed full of silver bullets with in the hour. He's got more than just Sakari keeping his ass in line."

"Like what? A conscience? Dean, Ayden is a monster whether you like it or not-"

"I never said he wasn't Sam. He knows what he is and the things that he's capable of. Believe me, at first I didn't like it either. He's got his creepy moments and the fact that they let him walk around like a human never ceases to scare the shit out of me. But he's never laid a finger on any human before and as far as I can tell he never plans to. And no, it's not a conscience, it's…it's more than that" Dean answers hesitantly, looking at the wall adorned in blood again.

Sam follows his eyes and stares at it as well. He bites his lip, and jumps when he hears a loud thud behind him. Both Dean and he whip around to see a large book and several envelopes and papers scattered on the ground in front of them. Footsteps echo in the hallway adjacent to the room the living room and a partially recovered Ayden walks in, long scrapes on his bare chest, cuts and bruises adorning his face. He sees the mess of papers on the floor and takes long strides to them, snatching up the book and putting it back on the table in the middle of the room. He leans down again and sifts through the papers, pulling out two envelopes. He reads what is written on the front of each of them and chews at the inside of his cheek.

Sam shuffles his feet, feeling slightly unnerved again in the presence of Ayden. Noticing this movement, Ayden looks up at Sam and a tiny smirk reappears on his face. He takes a step closer to Sam and stretches out his hand, handing him one of the stark white envelopes. Sam looks from the item to Ayden, confused.

"Take it Sam" Ayden says.

"What-why?" Sam asks, shivers running down his spine.

"Because it has your name on it" Ayden answers, his expression now lifeless. Sam reaches for the small folded paper and takes it from Ayden, surprised to see his name scrawled on the front. Dean moves closer to Sam, peering around him to get a good look at it.

"There's one for you too Dean" Ayden quietly pronounces, handing another sheet to Dean. Now its Dean turn to be surprised to see his name written on the other envelope.

Sam motions to Dean and they both pull open their own envelopes, revealing only a single tarot card in each of theirs.

Dean immediately recognizes his and shows Sam, his face serious.

With a white and gray border and the Roman numeral XV placed at the top in the center, a truly bizarre picture meets Sam's eyes. A white goat with three eyes, the third in the center of its forehead, and two spiraling horns is standing at the center of the drawing. An Egyptian staff of some sort, with blue wings and two serpents, is placed in front of it with two amber spheres on either side of it beneath the creature's hoofs. Inside the spheres, humans with ghostly pale skin writhe in agony from whatever punishment they are receiving for their sins.

"The devil?" Sam asks, pulling out his own card. Gripping it with his thumb and pointer finger, he takes a long look at it before showing Dean.

An equally disturbing depiction greets Dean's eyes; a blackened skeleton with a crown atop its skull. In its awkwardly twisted hands is a black scythe with swirling water-like figures around the blade's edge. A serpent, fish, scorpion, flower, and some small plant sit beneath the skeleton's dancing feet.

"Death."

Dean swallows and quietly says, "yeah, but who's?"

Both brothers are pulled from their stupors as Ayden clears his throat. They both look to him as he says matter-of-factly, "you know, the Death card doesn't necessarily always mean 'death.' It can also mean sudden change, among other things." He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his own card along with a small, crinkled paper.

"What's that?" Dean asks, motioning towards the sheet in Ayden's hand.

"Sakari left it for me next to her deck" he answers, unfolding the paper. Small, hurried black scribbling can be seen from the back. "She wrote the name of our cards and the specific meaning she has implied for each of them." Ayden clears his throat again and reads "death; apparent death or destruction that is illusory when viewed from a higher perspective."

Sam's eyebrows furrow, and looks to Dean, who returns the look.

"What about Dean's; the devil?" Sam asks.

"Secret plan about to be executed; fate."

Dean straightens up to his full height and a determined look flashes across his weary face, but says nothing. Silence is the only thing to be heard for a few brief seconds when Sam opens his mouth to speak; "you said that she had one laid out for you. What was it?"

Ayden doesn't respond at first and only looks at Sam as he thumbs at his own card. He folds the wrinkled paper back up and stuffs into his pocket once more, now glancing at Dean. He twirls the card with his fingers and flips it into his pointer and middle finger, holding it up for both of them to see.

Perhaps the strangest of the three cards rests in Ayden's grip. A stark white naked male hangs upside down, his left foot tied to the Egyptian cross, the Ankh. Tying his foot to it is a yellow and black snake, with another serpent curling beneath the man's faceless head. His right foot is stretched across his left at a ninety degree angle and his foot is nailed to a green orb. His outstretched arms are also nailed down to pale green circles. Rippling blue water sits underneath his head and the snake. Hundreds of white cubes outlined by blue lie under the man's body, a pure blue section under his hips and legs. Shooting from the top of the Ankh is wispy white rays on top of a light green background on top of the cubes.

"The hanged man or dying god" Ayden softly whispers. "It represents…" his voice trails off, as though trying to pick the proper words. "…Loss, failure, and death" he finishes, not looking at either of the Winchesters.

Dean lets out a small sigh and takes a few steps, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Alright...so obviously she wants us to know something. Question is what? I mean, if she's being so discreet about it then she clearly didn't want whoever did all this," motioning to the mess in the room, "to know that she knew…whatever it is that she supposedly knows."

Sam sniggers a moments at his brother's self-devised tongue twister, but stifles it when a mildly amused Ayden looks over at him, a sad smile on his face.

"Yes your brother certainly has a way with words, doesn't he?" he murmurs, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Dean rolls his eyes and retorts, 'hey, I don't see either of you contributing any bright ideas. Proof that higher education does NOT necessarily make you any smarter."

"Keep telling your self that bro" Sam says, feeling more relaxed now that Ayden displays the same love of poking fun at his older brother that he indulges in every now and then.

Sadness plastered on his face, Ayden reveals one more clue that he had yet to decipher for them. "Regrettably, I have yet to disclose what the 'writing on the wall,' if you will, signifies."

Ayden pulls out the pack of tarot cards that their individual ones originated from and shows them the top one.

"This morning I'm pretty sure Sakari had this card turn up in the near future slot in a simple fifteen card layout. Now compare that to the symbol on the wall that our enemy so kindly left for us. Look fairly similar, wouldn't you say?"

Dean and Sam move towards Ayden and the deck, their eyes growing wide. On the card, four red staffs lying on a bold yellow circle intersect. Each rod bears a ram's head on one end and a dove on the other, orange flames coming from the center where the wands meet.

"It's the four of wands. Completion. And every other card that influenced this one indicated ruin, destruction, failure, or death."

All three look at the wall once again and what they thought looked like a wheel suddenly showed its true meaning. Whoever had sketched this had placed roughly drawn spirals on the ram's end and small half circle where the doves should be. A blood splatter rested at the very center and the circle encompassing it all had droplets running down the wall to the floor.

"So…whatever this enemy is planning…" Sam starts.

"Is soon to be completed" Ayden finishes for him, nodding, the sound of the silver clock echoing throughout the room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Lightning flashed against the sky, a brilliant red blazing like fire into the atmosphere. The stench of burning flesh and electricity fills Sakari's nostrils, hitting her like a brick wall and causing a bout of nausea to overcome her. Her head starts to pound and vertigo strikes as she falls to the ground on one knee. She quickly shuts her eyes as she tries to steady herself. She takes each ragged breath in slowly, the scent burning at her lungs. Her eyes still closed, she sits down and rubs at her temples. A moment passes and the dizziness and nausea subside, her breathing coming a bit easier with each inhalation of the tainted air. She coughs and opens her watery eyes, putting a hand to the ground as she slowly pushes herself back up. Lightning sears across the sky again, illuminating everything surrounding her. As she continues to gather her bearings she looks around her, panic rising in her stomach and adrenaline flooding her system.

_Oh God…_

A charred landscape encircles her, smoke pouring into the crimson sky from flaming ruins in the distance. Broken and battered bodies lie before her, all burned or disfigured in some way. Men, women, and children of all ages. She takes a step back in horror, her hand covering her mouth. She whips herself around, trying to find an end to this destruction but none is found. Only flames, smoke, ruins, and death surround her on all sides. A strong wind picks up, her black hair whipping at her face and stinging her eyes. She chokes on the dust and shields her face from the onslaught, crouching on the ground again. Cradling her face in her hands she tries to calm herself despite the fear and terror still fighting to break through.

_This is not real…It's not real, I know it isn't…It can't be…_

A roar fills her ears for a few brief seconds and a sudden bitter cold bites at her feet and legs. Her eyes snap open in shock and she finds herself standing to her full height in freezing salt water. Rough waves lap at her, white caps abound. She can see her breath as she exhales, freezing cold now stabbing at her chest. The lightning still illuminates the heavens making the cold waters look alarmingly similar to blood. She shivers and shuffles her way to shore, her soaked clothes clinging to her skin. She allows herself to collapse on the rough sand and curls up in a ball on her side. Exhaustion and her aching muscles consume her and for a small instant she closes her eyes, praying that when she opens them again she will be gone from this place.

The sound of something heavy falling onto the sand next to her makes her look again. Laying next to her lay the most beautiful little girl she had ever seen, with startling blue eyes and long blonde hair pulled back into a braid. In the girl's arms was a worn teddy bear with one eye missing and the stuffing coming out of on of the arms. Surprised to see such a perfect unscathed child in a place like this, Sakari sits up.

"You're not real…" she starts, slightly unnerved at this child's presence.

The little girl just stares at her, adjusting her toy's position in her tiny arms.

"Well, if I'm not real then what are you?" the girl finally asks.

Completely taken aback, Sakari opens her mouth to respond but can't think of anything to say to such a statement.

_Who is this kid?_

Sakari finally answers, "I know I'm real. You aren't however. This is a dream. Just a post-apocalyptic dream that I plan on waking up from very soon."

"And what happens if you don't?" the girl asks, sitting up to meet Sakari's gaze.

Sakari's lips twitch and she sighs.

"I guess I'll have whatever you are to keep me company then, won't I?" she murmurs, hugging her knees.

Swatting her tiny braid over her shoulder, the child imitates Sakari and hugs her legs as well, her teddy in her hand.

"I'm Vivian. This is Snuggles" the girl says, waggling the bear in Sakari's direction. "You look sad. Did you lose your family?"

"Sakari, and yeah, I guess you could say that" she answers.

Vivian nods. "Me too. I was with them one minute and then the next thing I knew, I was on this beach." She places her chin on her hands, her elbows propped up on her knees. "I like your name, its pretty. I wish I had a pretty name like that."

A small smile etches onto Sakari's face and she feels her fear slip away.

"Well, Vivian is a pretty name too. So is Snuggles" she says, motioning towards the toy.

Vivian lets out a high pitched giggle, squealing, "no its not! My daddy named him that 'cuz he hates that laundry bear on TV." Thunder rumbles over head and fear enters Vivian's eyes as she looks up at the lightning. She looks back at Sakari, afraid.

"I don't like it here" she whispers, clutching at Snuggles.

Sakari tries to comfort her when she notices a small bloodstain on Vivian's yellow flower-print shirt. Concerned, Sakari reaches for her.

"Hey, are you alright?" Sakari asks, her arm outstretched. As her finger lightly brushes Vivian's shirt, she glances up at her forehead to see a trickle of blood slide down her temple.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" Sakari worriedly asks. She gently wipes the blood away and as she pulls her hand away to examine the blood, her eyes widen in horror. She scrambles away and falls onto her back, staring at a blackened skeleton where Vivian used to sit. Its skull is fractured and its jaw slack. In its arms is a small teddy bear with one eye missing and the stuffing coming out one arm.

Feeling her small sense of security fall away, a single tear slithers down her cheek and she starts to cry. She hugs her knees to her chest and begs God to take her away from this horrid place.

Her world spins and she falls into a sickening liquid warmth. She shoots up and gasps for air, wiping the liquid from her eyes. Blanketed in darkness, she continuously rubs her eyes, spitting out a metallic tasting substance. As it dribbles down her chin, she instantly seizes up, slowly lowering her arm. Unable to see, she scoops up a small amount of whatever she is standing in. Clouds part overhead and a full moon shines down, revealing a sea of blood to her waist. Terror clouds her senses and she finds herself unable to breathe.

Mere feet away something bubbles under the surface. Shooting up from under the fluid, several corpses grab Sakari and drag her under the blood, her scream shattering the night air.

"Hey…um, Ayden?" Sam starts to ask, unsure of how to put this.

Ayden looks at him, once again surprised at the fact that Sam was addressing him. He could see that Sam was uncomfortable around him and didn't want to impose too much.

"Yes…?"

"Um…well, I was wondering if you remembered anything about whoever did this to you. You know; who or what it was or whatever."

Ayden sighs deeply, trying to concentrate on what the younger Winchester has asked of him. He certainly remembered being hit several times and crashing into the glass and it slashing his skin, but who attacked him? He closes his eyes and bites his lip, a small headache forming at the back of his head as he thinks back on it.

A sudden image hits him and he remembers. As he lay on the frame of the glass table, he had looked up for a brief second to see two people staring down at him. Their outlines fuzzy, he could only see that there were two of them before he had lost consciousness. And he still had no idea how he had been moved to the kitchen.

"All I can really tell you is there were two men here, at the very least. There may have been more. I'm sorry that I cannot be of more help" Ayden answers, his eyes open again.

"Well look, we know Sakari saw this coming or some of it anyway. She left us clues, apparently about what 'they' are planning. She's missing, most likely with whoever or whatever the hell they are. So we just need to figure out where she is and get her back before something happens to her" Dean states. He feels so useless and needs to feel like he is contributing something…_anything_. He can tell Sam is still nervous and frustrated somewhat, but he doesn't really know how to make him feel any better so he decides to simply say something. Anything to just get them brainstorming, to find something they missed.

"That's if something hasn't happened to her already" Sam adds quietly, Dean nodding in agreement.

Silence follows until Ayden speaks up. "Dean, can I talk to you a minute? I need your opinion on some personal matters."

"What, now?" Dean asks incredulously, surprised that Aden feels the need to do this now.

Ayden just stares at him, boring his eyes into Dean's. Deans gets a shiver up his spine and angrily mutters "_Fine_, I'm coming goddammit, no need to try to scare me into it…"

Ayden doesn't respond, merely leads Dean towards the stairs.

"Be right back Sammy" Dean says loudly to his brother, trailing after Ayden.

"Right…" Sam murmurs, annoyed at his brother for leaving him hanging like this.

"You really have to do this _now_?" Dean flares, knowing that Sam would want an explanation when he returned to the downstairs. Having reached the upstairs and now standing in Sakari's workroom, Dean lets his emotions out a little.

"Well I obviously can't discuss this in front of your brother, so when the hell do you want me to do it? When we're lying face down in some hellhole, bleeding to death?" Ayden snaps.

"Look, Sam deserves to know-"

"NO, he doesn't" Ayden interrupts. "Not yet, Winchester, can't you see? You've told him all you need to know for now; we need him on our side."

"Sammy isn't going to just take off just because of that, I know him better then you" Dean angrily retorts.

"Listen, you can tell him all of it as more signs reveal themselves, but for now, just leave it alone."

"Alright, FINE! Why the hell are you telling me this anyway? Did it look like I was about to spill or something because I thought I was doing fucking _swell_ keeping my lid shut-"

"Because I can't have you telling him what I'm about to say. He doesn't trust me already and I don't need you to make matters worse Dean" Ayden says, his eyes pleading, something Dean has never seen in Ayden's eyes before. He didn't think Ayden was capable of something as low as begging. He pauses, unsure of where this is going to lead. Still angry, he decides to hear Ayden out.

"Alright, _what_?" he hisses, extremely annoyed.

"There's no need for that Winchester" Ayden snarls back. "You know damn well what this means."

"_Yeah_, I know, isn't fairly obvious from the blood splattered all over the wall and the cards she gave us? I'm not an idiot despite what you may think."

"Look, I barely saw her this morning, she just stopped by to try and let off some steam. Like I said earlier she did a spread and got some rather unsettling results. She knows that you shouldn't necessarily live by the cards but she could help but feel a little disturbed by what she saw. And yesterday, I ran into her on her way home and she was clearly afraid of something. She didn't exactly say what she'd seen but it made her nervous so I took her home. When I asked her what she'd seen again, she merely whispered "it was her."

Dean didn't have to ask to figure out who Sakari had been referring to. But how this was possible he didn't know.

"She then told me about her correspondence with you and how you'd been dreaming about our deceased little fiend. And also how she had been dreaming about you and whatever she picked up from her phone call with you."

"Whoa, wait-So she is able to hear thoughts over the phone?" Dean asks, mildly surprised.

Ayden lets a small smile cross his face before answering him.

"Yes, she has gotten quite good at that hasn't she?" he says, waiting to see if he is able to continue with what he was saying. "May I finish?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, keep going" Dean says hurriedly, wanting to hear where this was all leading.

"Well, I've been listening to the ether myself lately and there's something brewing. What it is, I really don't know. But I can tell you that this is bigger than you can imagine. And we have to find Sakari and stop this before it's too late. And I fear that that may be sooner than you think."

Dean stands there, unsure of what to say. He figured this was bad but he didn't think it'd be apocalypse fire-falling-from-the-sky bad.

"So you don't Sam to know this because…?"

"It's not that he doesn't need to know. It's what Sakari really wrote for my card that he can't know. It really meant redemption through sacrifice, punishment, and suffering" Ayden quietly says, his eyes suddenly glowing.

Dean suddenly understands, fear and terror gripping at him.

"Oh God…" Dean softly whispers

"Yes Dean. Adrianna is alive, and she wants revenge. And she won't rest until we're dying at her feet for what we did."

XXX

Alright, this is going to be my last update for a while b/c I'm going on a mission trip tomorrow for like ten days. As soon as I get back I'll start on the next chapter. Let me know what you think please!


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